Fine Tuning
by static shakedown
Summary: AU. Yunoki is a sour CEO for a company. Kahoko gets hired to be his secretary, the third one that month. Can she uncover what's hidden in his heart?
1. With no cellphone!

**Fine Tuning**

**A/N—**The idea for this story came after watching a K-drama called _Bad Love_ and reading some Yunoki/Kahoko fanfiction afterwards. I'll put this in the disclaimer also but just wanted to throw that out there. _Italics _represent thoughts. Thanks for reading! :]

**Disclaimer—**I don't own the plot/characters for La Corda D'Oro. Plot inspired by the Korean drama _Bad Love_.

- - -

"Hino, you're going to be late!" her mother rang out while swiftly rapping on her door three times.

Kahoko let out a histrionic sigh before shutting close her jewelry box that she'd only managed to unlock moments prior. She had only begun trying to get ready and already she was out of time. Taking a final glance at herself in her small bedroom mirror she let out a helpless sigh and gave her frizzy hair a final pat down before getting up from her vanity.

_I barely had time to brush my hair, _she thought pitifully while sliding open her fusuma door and stepping out into the small main area that was a combined open kitchen and dining room in their new apartment. It was surprising that her mother was up this early. She sat on a green pillow near the low-table in the center of the "dining room", a cup of coffee raised to her lips.

Kahoko gave her mother a weak smile but internally grimaced as she looked around the room. This was the first time she saw the apartment during the daytime, seeing as they moved in last night. The small window in the back, although covered in grime, brightened up the place. There wasn't much to look at, however. All she saw was a mess of shoji screens with the occasional tear, tatami mats with red streaks of questionable origins, and _way_ out-dated kitchen cabinets. She didn't have much time to dwell on the décor if she wanted to be on time for her interview, though.

"How did you sleep?" Hino asked, already knowing the answer, while heading for the door.

"Fine," her mother replied with a small wave of her hand dismissing the matter. "A-aren't you going to have breakfast?" she questioned, her voice laced with worry.

"There's no time." Kahoko looked at her cellphone. "I need to leave early to make sure I can find this . . . " she trailed off as she picked up her old briefcase and the pamphlet that rested on top. "Sanuki Bus Terminal."

Her gaze returned to her mother as she slipped on her shoes from the doorway. "Don't worry," she said with a small smile.

"I'm leaving," she called out, giving a small wave before opening the door to the hallway.

"Good luck!" she heard her mother call out before she closed the door again. The rusty hinges made a discordant squeak that grated on her nerves. After checking the door knob twice she was thankful that the lock at least seemed to be in good condition. She looked down the dimly lit hallway at the other doors and hoped that there weren't any trouble makers staying near her mother while she was away.

_And hopefully no horny teenagers seeing as the walls are paper thin._

A blush rose to her cheeks as this thought unwillingly entered her mind. "Get your mind out of the gutter," she reprimanded herself in a whisper as she tried to quickly go down the many flights of stairs leading to the exit of the apartment complex.

- - -

Finding the Sanuki Bus Terminal was easier than she expected. As soon as she neared the intersection where the map in the pamphlet indicated the terminal should be she saw a large group of men and women—all of them in business suits and more than half of them talking loudly on their cell phones.

_Eww. City life,_ she dismally thought, warily getting closer to the glob of pinstripes and leather shoes.

Now that she was away from her mother's vigilant eyes she didn't have to guiltily hide her displeasure at her current situation. Her return trip to Tokyo was being severely marred by the fact that it was practically mandatory. Her old apartment complex and the surrounding complexes and town shops had all been sold off to the Daehan construction company. The very company she was now heading to for an interview to become the President's secretary.

_Ironic. Very ironic._

She let out another sigh as she tried to commit to memory her surroundings. It was difficult, though, considering that the large, gray skyscrapers here seemed to frequent every street she had passed so far in Japan's megacity.

Shaking herself slightly, she tried to clear her mind of these depressing thoughts. It wasn't like her to dwell on the negative. She looked around again, trying to focus in on something unique that she could use to remember her bus stop. It was then that she noticed a green bench just behind the huddled mass of people that no one seemed to be using. Casting a disparaging look at the mob once more she neared the bench with hesitation.

A wave of understanding coursed through her as she now took a full look at it. Although there was nothing wrong with its foundation or the seat itself, there _was_ a very crudely drawn picture on the upright wooden part that was . . . more than a little graphic.

_Bingo._

She figured that any self-respecting business snob would flat out refuse to sit on such a bench but since everyone seemed to be so absorbed in their own person she gladly took a seat in the center, trying to use her body to cover up the inappropriate image as best she could. This bench could now act as her reference point for her bus stop and also served as a welcome sanctuary from standing too long in high heels.

- - -

When the bus finally drew near she waited until everyone else got on before entering. Quickly paying the small toll, she tried to look on either side of the people in front of her in an attempt to spot a seat next to someone who wasn't yapping away on their cell. Luckily, the din in the bus seemed to be less than outside because some people had the decency to end their calls before getting on. Her line of sight started in the back since she figured the first couple people would quickly fill up the front row seats. It seemed she was right because she noticed for the first time a cute girl in corner of the last row sitting by herself._ . . with no cellphone!_

It seemed that luck was at least partially on her side in Tokyo since no one else in front of her took the seat that she had mentally picked out. With a wide grin she approached the seat next to the pretty girl and cleared her throat.

"Ah, excuse me. May I sit here?" she politely asked.

"O-of c-course," the teal-haired girl stuttered out with a small smile.

Kahoko did a mental happy dance before plopping down on the seat and casting her soft-spoken seat neighbor a grateful glance.

"My name's Kahoko. Kahoko Hino." She held out her hand in what she hoped was a professional manner.

"S-Shoko Fuyumi," the young woman replied, giving Kahoko's hand a delicate shake. They shared another pleasant smile before looking away again.

"A-a-ano . . . " Shoko spoke out after the bus started moving again.

"Hmm?"

"Your n-not from around here b-by any chance, a-a-are you?"

Hino self-consciously fingered the hem of her skirt. Her lack of having time to get ready this morning coupled with the out-dated clothes she was wearing probably made her stick out like a sore thumb here.

"Oh! I-I m-meant that in a-a good way." Fuyumi held up her hands in a defensive manner. "P-p-people who ride this bus u-usually aren't very friendly," she continued in a lowered voice.

Kahoko let out a small snort. "Why bother whispering? It's not like anyone can hear you over this racket." She gestured to all the people who still were talking on their phones.

Shoko smiled slightly and continued on. "Did you r-recently get a job in T-Tokyo?"

"Not yet but I hope to soon." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I have a list of interviews I'm doing today starting with some construction company."

"I-It wouldn't happen to be Daehan Co., w-would it?"

Her eyes lit up and she gave a quick nod. "You work there?"

Fuyumi smiled and she too nodded her head. "I'm one of the system administrators."

"Wow, sounds fancy," Kahoko quipped. "You must be pretty smart, Fuyumi."

"N-not at all," she replied nervously but with a bashful smile. A thoughtful expression crossed her face. "A-ano, I didn't k-know they were hiring."

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard about it," Hino replied lightly. "If hired, I'll have the very unimportant role of secretary."

A look of worry flittered across Shoko's face. "Oh, another . . . " she muttered to herself.

"Another?" Kahoko mimicked in a confused voice.

"Oh! It's j-j-just that . . . P-President Yunoki g-goes through secretaries r-rather . . . quickly."

At this Kahoko laughed out loud. "What does he do, scare them off? Or are they just too stuck-up to put up with the stupid things he asks them to do?"

Shoko tried to laugh it off as well but a hint of concern stayed on her features. "I-I'm sure you'll be f-fine," she replied.

Although a bit perturbed by Shoko's reaction, Kahoko was more optimistic about this position than before. At least if she got this job she might be able to see Fuyumi.

_And besides, how tough could a secretary position really be?_

- - -

They both got off the bus together that stopped near the Daehan building. Although she imagined that a company with enough power and wealth to buy off part of a small town in Japan must be a pretty big deal, Kahoko was still taken aback at the grandeur of the company's building. It didn't look like the typical endlessly tall rectangular building but instead was designed to resemble two wings spread out with hundreds of blue-tinted windows. There was a vacant limousine parked in the front which seemed to be for the president to use whenever traveling and although it was on the exterior in public domain, the floors were covered with expensive-looking granite. She peered down at her own clothing and never felt more inadequate. She tried in vain to smooth out a wrinkle on her skirt once more before quickly entering to catch up to Fuyumi.

Once inside they headed toward the elevators.

"The P-President does all the h-hiring, of c-course. He's on the top floor." They both got on the elevator together and Fuyumi pressed two buttons.

"I get off on the th-thirteenth floor." She gazed up at Kahoko once more. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"

"A-ah well . . . " Kahoko grinned and rubbed the back of her neck. "If not, I know where to find you."

"Right." The thirteenth floor arrived with a ding and Shoko stepped outside. They gave each other a final wave goodbye as the elevator doors closed again.

- - -

As soon as the elevator doors opened Kahoko's sight was greeted to a foyer with an empty desk and a pair of large double doors to her left. Considering that the desk was void of anything except a modern-looking computer, she figured that this was where the secretary would work.

_And this must be the president's office_, she thought, turning towards the oak doors. But before she could reach the handle, the door suddenly swung open from the other side.

"Ehh?!" was all she managed to let out before she fell backwards, landing squarely on her butt.

"Huh?" was the reply by the door opener as he continued to try to pry open the door all the way, causing the door's side to jam uncomfortably into Hino's thigh.

"Down here," she replied stopping the door with a death grip. Thankfully the door was closed again and the man who had knocked her out peered down at her. She saw that he had brilliant green hair and light hazel eyes that focused in on her with a disconcerted expression.

"I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized in a repentant tone as soon as it clicked with him that he had knocked Kahoko over. He extended his hand in an offer to help her get up.

She eyed the offending hand with scrutiny but let her grudge go after remembering that she was wearing both a tight pencil skirt and high heels—either of which was sufficient enough in hindering her body's ability to move or pick itself up—so she reluctantly accepted its support.

"I'm so sorry Ms. . . " hazel eyes swept over her upper body as he helped pick her up. "Wah—no name tag?" He glanced at her with a horrified expression. "Don't tell me you're a visitor?"

She patted down her skirt once more and threw him an annoyed glare, noticing that he had on a name tag that was similar to the one Shoko had donned. She was also surprised at how young he appeared to be also. She'd venture to say he was four years older than her, max.

"Actually I'm applying for a job here."

With that he instantly calmed down and stopped fidgeting. In a playful manner he pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead.

"Pheewww—" he whistled. "That's a relief. For a second I thought you were some important visitor who would go and complain about me to President Yunoki. He's totally looking for any reason to fire me." He said the last part more to himself than to her.

Kahoko internally grimaced, taking slight offense to his sudden disinterest in her well-being now that he knew she was a nobody.

"But that's odd," he added, "I didn't know there was a position open." He glanced at her again with questioning eyes.

_Not this again._

"Secretary," she added dryly in hopes that it would end the conversation.

"Ohh." His demeanor again changed as he glanced at the door again. "I'm sorry," he repeated placing his hand on her shoulder.

Kahoko glanced wearily at the proffered hand. "He's that bad?"

"Well," he lifted his hand off of her stiff shoulder, "just try to get on his good side, okay?"

She nodded her head. _This is so ridiculous_, she thought, incredulous to the reputation that followed the enigma wrapped in an enigma that was President Yunoki.

"Anyway, my name's Hihara. I'm the humble chauffeur," he added with a grin. "Good luck in there!" He said this with one last smile before heading toward the elevators.

"Okay . . . thank you? My name's Kahoko Hino . . . " she replied in a small voice to his retreating frame as he moved on without listening to her.

_Or not . . . _

Brushing off that odd encounter, she let out one last sigh before—this time cautiously—approaching the doors once more.

_Let's get this over with._

- - -

**A/N—**This story will actually be related more to music later on. I swear. ( ^ ___^ ;;)


	2. Isn't that something?

**Fine Tuning**

**Disclaimer**—I don't own the plot/characters for La Corda D'Oro. Plot inspired by the Korean drama Bad Love.

- - -

She knocked twice before opening one of the doors slowly. Putting on a brave face, she stood up straight and entered the spacious room with what she hoped seemed like confidence.

Directly in front of her was a coffee table surrounded by four leather-backed chairs. Bookcases filled to the brim lined the wall immediately to her right and as her eyes followed the border of one continuous shelf she saw another desk behind the table and chairs but off to the side, diagonal to her. This desk seemed to be even bigger than the one outside and was littered with stationery. Sitting behind the desk was a thin man with glossy purple hair and auburn-colored eyes who was, much to her chagrin, talking on a cellphone.

Some time passed where Kahoko felt foolish for just standing there before the purple-haired man finally spared her a glance and their eyes met. He eyed her up and down and then looked away again, the arrival of someone new obviously not being important enough for him to end his phone call, as was made apparent when he continued to blabber on, making no sign of acknowledging her presence.

Finally ending the call, which he took his leisurely time with, she noticed him close his phone and turn to her fully after a few minutes.

"Yes?" he asked curtly with a silky voice and a raised eyebrow, haughty impatience written all over his face.

"Excuse _me_, I'm looking for President Yunoki." She tried to reply back with the same pithy tone he had used.

" . . . _Yes_?" was again the young man's laconic reply.

Her eyelid subconsciously twitched in annoyance. She was really not in the mood for this right now. Her feet hurt, her butt now hurt, and the way she was being treated like dirt by some people in this city was really starting to annoy her. She tried to scrutinize his appearance quickly to try to figure out who this nitwit was. _His hair is really glossy but that's beside the point, I guess . . . _Okay, he was young—just like Shouko and Hihara—and _expensive_ looking—just like everything in this room seemed to be. And this was definitely the president's room as the name card on his desk revealed.

_Ah ha, one of daddy's rich sons? _The mental lightbulb above her head lit up. _That must be it._ With this assumption in mind, she decided to try to remain calm in order to gain his cooperation.

Imagining for a moment that the briefcase's handle that she was wringing in her hands was this guy's neck, Kahoko was able to gain her composure and even threw a smirk back at him.

"And do you know where he is?" she questioned with only a mildly caustic undertone.

Glossy Hair leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other in what seemed like a relaxed position, as if he was going to watch some kind of spectacle and was making himself comfortable. She was surprised to find that he was capable of an even more supercilious countenance as she watched his eyebrow jut further up toward his hairline and his face take on a look of increased amusement.

"Right here." He said each word distinctly, the corners of his mouth turning upward as he spoke.

The cool and collected front that she had worked so hard to put out instantly faltered. She brushed a fingertip over her lip in confusion as she glanced around the room with a dazed look, trying to make sense of what he had just said. He couldn't be more than—what? Three years her senior? And yet . . . he's claiming to be the president? Surely, he was pulling her leg.

Looking around the office she sighted another adjacent office space behind glass doors connected to this room to her left. Trying to focus her gaze, she looked to see if anyone was sitting behind the desk that was in that room—someone older and more important looking, to be exact. The office chair was empty. Her brief disappointment was cut short when she heard Glossy Hair give a fake cough.

His expression of complete and utter amusement had not changed.

"That would be _my_ other office." He pointed to the right where she had obviously been looking. "It's rather useless, having two offices next to each other like this, but that's how the building was built."

Kahoko could feel her eyelid begin to twitch again at the way his voice was dripping with arrogance.

"But this serves as a useful lobby for people to wait if I have an incompetent secretary schedule two meetings at once," he added as an afterthought, signaling with his hands to the room they were in.

As he blabbered on about his daddy's money—or whatever it was he was talking about, she wasn't really listening—Kahoko tried to internally assess how to approach this situation. On one hand, this guy seemed to know what he was talking about and had confidently told her he was the company's president. On the other hand, she wouldn't put it past some kind of spoiled kid to try to pretend he was the president while the real president was away just to pull a prank on her.

She examined him again and thought back to his personality traits. He was laid-back, arrogant, acted like a total jackass . . .

_- - -_

_A look of worry flittered across Shoko's face. "Oh, another . . . " she muttered to herself._

"_Another?" Kahoko mimicked in a confused voice._

"_Oh! It's j-j-just that . . . P-President Yunoki g-goes through secretaries r-rather . . . quickly."_

_At this Kahoko laughed out loud. "What does he do, scare them off? Or are they just too stuck-up to put up with the stupid things he asks them to do?"_

_Shoko tried to laugh it off as well but a hint of concern stayed on her features. "I-I'm sure you'll be f-fine," she replied._

- - -

"_Ohh." His demeanor again changed as he glanced at the door again. "I'm sorry," he repeated placing his hand on her shoulder._

"_He's that bad?"_

"_Well," he scratched the back of his head with the hand that had rested on her stiff shoulder, "just try to get on his good side, okay?"_

_- - -_

Her eyes widened in understanding.

_Oh, shit._

Glancing back to him, she realized that he had stopped talking. Although a fair amount of time had elapsed since they had started this "conversation", she was sure that his right eyebrow had not relaxed from its elevated position the whole time. Suddenly loosening her grip on her briefcase and casting him a sheepish grin, she responded to his unheard remark with the first thing that came to her head:

"Oh-h. I see . . . "

"You see," he mimicked, bringing himself forward to rest his chin in his palm while leaning against his desk. After a short pause where he just looked at her quizzically, he pressed a button on the telephone that was on his desk. The button flashed on and off for a few seconds before she heard a familiar voice.

"Yes, boss?" Kazuki's voice broke through the silence.

"Is the limo ready yet?"

"Almost, I'll be there soon."

He held down the button again. "All right. Meet me at the _president's_ _office_ where I'll be . . . because I'm the _president_."

"Okay . . . " Kazuki's confused tone was the end of the conversation as Yunoki pressed a different button and the red button that had once been flashing shut off completely.

The obvious emphasis he put on the word "president" would have seemed like playful teasing to Kahoko . . . if it was anyone other than this pretentious jerk uttering them. The way he said it made it sound patronizing.

_And annoying as hell!_ She sourly wondered if this was the low point in her new life in Tokyo or if she could go even lower than selling her pride for a stupid paycheck.

"So," he straightened himself in his chair, "what is it that you wanted with me?"

Kahoko nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She was still annoyed—and just because he was _probably_ the boss didn't mean she was going to kiss his ass all of a sudden—but she suddenly thought of her mother and their new apartment filled with grime and lined with paper thin walls. She needed money, and working as a secretary to such an important company likely paid a lot better than anything else she could get on such short notice. Making up her mind, she gave a small nod.

"I'm interested in the secretary position," she announced resolutely.

This time it was his expression that momentarily faltered. One corner of his mouth turned down and he—finally!—lowered his eyebrows, furrowing them in thought instead. She watched him with curiosity as he began pushing papers aside haphazardly to reveal a flat desk calendar. He paused, traced a finger down a column, and stopped at what she assumed was the tiny square that represented today's date. Although she couldn't discern the tiny text, she saw that there was in fact writing on the small block.

He sighed and brought his papers back to their original organized mess before getting up and heading toward a fancy-looking mahogany file cabinet.

"I'm glad it wasn't someone important," she thought she heard him humble along the way.

For a moment she felt the same kind of aloofness that she started with when she was waiting for him to finish his phone call as he earnestly dug through the files.

_He's not ignoring me, is he?_ She seethed at the prospect.

Just as she started mulling over all the indignant complaints she would yell at him for ignoring her, Kahoko heard him exclaim something and pop his head out from deep within the file cabinet, a manila folder in hand.

He faced her again.

"Well? Are you going to stand there all day or will you sit down so I can interview you?" He asked this while seating himself in one of the comfy looking chairs surrounding the coffee table and gesturing, drudgingly, at the seat across from him.

She eyed him cautiously for a moment, trying to figure out his true intent, before stiffly sitting in the plush seat across from him.

"Now then," he began, opening the aforementioned folder. "Name: Kahoko Hino . . . ," he paused to let out another sigh, "age . . . date of birth . . . birthplace." At this, a curious expression crossed his features and his eyebrow again quirked upward.

"You're from Tottori?"

"Yes . . . " she said slowly. She frowned in thought, quickly seeing where this conversation was going.

Laughter played in his eyes. "Did you move here recently?" he asked, although it was obvious they both knew the answer.

"_Very_," she replied tersely, clenching and unclenching the handle of her briefcase again. _Stay calm, don't give this jackass the satisfaction of seeing you angry, _she tried to tell herself.

His mouth stretched into a full smile that showed his dazzling teeth. "Ah, I've been there before," he commented while shifting his position to get more comfortable. "Just recently actually. It's a beautiful place—physically, at least. They're known for their sand dunes," his paused to let his mouth widen even further, surely as a reaction to her obvious irritation. "Isn't that something?" He chuckled. "The people however are totally backward . . . I had no idea there were still some parts of mainland Japan that are so . . . country." He waved a hand as if gracefully batting away a fly.

"Oh well." He gave a fake sigh as his eyes went back to scanning her resumé. Occasionally, however, he'd glance up at her with a wicked smile that gave away what he was still thinking about.

"All right," he said quickly afterwards, closing the manila folder swiftly. "You're hired."

She blinked twice. "That's it?" _Okay, I wasn't expecting that_.

"What? You want me to ask you why you want to work for this company or some frivolous thing like that?" He eyed her warily. "Take note, I don't like doing unnecessary things."

Yunoki was about to get up from his seat but extended his hand out to her instead. "Welcome to Daehan Co."

She grasped his hand and tentatively shook it, happy that she detected nothing suspicious in his voice and yet half expecting him to secretly be holding some kind of shocking gadget that would go off as soon as she clasped her hand in his.

"Sorry to impose, but do you think you could stay for another," he paused to look down at his Rolex, "forty-five minutes? I'll pay you, of course."

She bit down on her lip. "Umm—do you know what time is it?"

"10:20"

She gave a hesitant smile. "Sure, I don't mind." _If I'm getting paid . . . _

His expression changed again to one of amusement. "Good. Your desk is that one right outside that you see when you first get off the elevators." He ran a hand through his silky locks in a lazy manner. "I'll explain everything tomorrow."

"Okay . . . then what am I—"

"I have another appointment scheduled for 11 o' clock. Tell them the position's been filled before they come bother me."

Her jaw slackened.

"Here." He slid the manila folder across the glossy cherry wood. "While you're waiting, fax this resumé to that background checking company."

_What the?_

She flipped open the manila folder in disbelief.

_Yup, still my resumé . . . _

She was at a loss for words. _What kind of boss hires a person to run a background check on themselves?_

"Is there a problem?" Yunoki's voice broke her momentary revere.

"Huh? Oh um—I-I don't know the fax number—for starters."

"I have a post-it note with the number taped to the machine; it's a number we use often," he said in a deadpan voice, as if what he was saying made all the sense in the world.

"W-well I—" she blushed lightly, "I don't really know how to fax, either. I've never done it before."

He rubbed his chin in what she could tell was a mocking gesture. "That's what you've got forty-five minutes for," he replied with another acrid smile. This time he rose fully from the chair, effectively ending all conversation for the day.

- - -

**A/N** —Hmm, just so you know, I'll likely be rewriting the first chapter soon after posting this one. Nothing major, just trying to tidy it up since some stuff annoyed me about it when I re-read it. I'll likely do this every chapter since I usually get hypercritical of my writing after a while. Heh . . . ('-'*)

Thanks for reading and sorry for not replying to any reviews last time (o_o;;) I'll try to reply to them all this time :DD


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